440 HAPPINESS OF SEPARATE SPIRITS. in us hereafter. If our spirits have nothing of that divine righteousness wrought in them on earth, we can never be admitted into the company Of the spirits of the righteous made perfect in heaven. It is an old saying among divines, but it is a most rational and a certain truth, that grace is glory begun, and glory is but grace perfected. The saints above have the same divine nature, the same sanctified inclinations, and are engaged in many of the same sacred emploÿnients with the saints below, but all in a superior degree, and in a more transcendent manner. As for you, my friends, who have the happiness and honour to be descended from such parents, or to be nearly relatedto sues saints, you have seen the virtues and graces, the exemplary cha- racter and piety of them who are gone before: you have had many bright and shining examples in your family; you aré the children of the blessed of the Lord, and may you for ever be blessed with them ! and in order to it, see that you are madé like them now, that ye may be followers of them, who through.faith andpatience inherit the promses. , This is a proper season to ex- amine yourselves, and call your souls to account in such language as this : My. father, my mother, my honoured and superior kindred are gone toglory : Their graces are perfected; and are not 'mine begun ? What, Lave I no evidences for heaven yet ready ? no exercises of faith, of love, of repentance, of true holi- ness ? Are they arrived at heaven, and am I not yet travelling in the same road ? They were convinced of sin, and the danger of eternal death, so as to give themselves no rest till they found salvation. Have I ever been convinced of the sin of my nature, and the guilt of my life ? Hive I beheld myself exposed to the anger, of God, and in danger of everlasting misery, so as to cry out with myself, What shalt J do to be saved ? They have seen .Jesus the Son of God, the all-sufficient Saviour, and havecommitted their souls by humble faith into his hands, to obtain pardon for the sake of his atonement, to be jus- tified'through his righteousness, to be renewed and madeholy by the grace of his Spirit, and to be preserved to eternal glory. Now what have I seen of the excellency, or all-sufficiency, or necessity of Christ as a Mediator ? Have "I been persuaded to .trust in him for my acceptance with God, to give my soul up to him as my guide, guard and ruler, to beformed after his image, and to venture all my immortal concerns with him to be brought safe to heaven ? Have I ever received him as my Lord and my Saviour, under those condescending characters and offices which hesustains for a sinner's salvation ? They have believed in him whilehe was unseen, and they loved him, though they saw him not ; they rejoiced in him as their all, and they knew not how to live
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